Student Campus & Program Level Effective Dates

Defining Student Campus & Program Data Fields

Campus-level data includes the student’s overall enrollment status at the school and current postal address.

Program-level data includes the student’s program identifiers and required fields, like enrollment status, for the student’s program(s) of study.

Campus Status Start Date (SSD):

The date the student’s campus-level enrollment status first became effective.

  • As of this date, the student is recognized as continuously enrolled in the reported enrollment status for eligibility and federal aid administrative purposes.
  • It is the date the student began continuous enrollment in the corresponding status overall at the school, as of the date the status is in effect.
  • The date remains static from enrollment file to enrollment file and term to term until the overall enrollment status increases or decreases.

Program Begin Date (PBD):

The date the student first began enrollment in the reported program. This date typically corresponds to the first day of the term in which the student initially began attending the program. If the student withdraws from the program and later re-enrolls in the same program, the PBD will not change. The exception for when to report a revised PBD for an existing program is if the program’s previously reported PBD is incorrect.

The Department of Education (ED) requires PBD for each reported program:

  • To signal in the NSLDS the earliest date of enrollment in the reported program as part of the student’s historical record
  • To identify when a student first began attendance in a reported program as part of program accountability

Program Enrollment Status Effective Date (PSED)

The date the student’s enrollment status became effective in the reported program.

This date:

  • Does not change unless the program enrollment status increases or decreases
  • Remains the same across reporting cycles if the student continues in the same enrollment status in the same unique program
  • Should remain unchanged across terms or reporting periods unless there is an actual change in status.

The Campus SSD matches the PSED unless the student 1) changes programs while continuously enrolled, 2) withdraws from a program while continuously enrolled, or 3) graduates from a program while continuously enrolled.

When to Expect Certain Fields to Change

Status Start Date (SSD): Student’s overall campus enrollment status increases or decreases.

Program Begin Date (PBD): Does not change UNLESS the reported PBD for the program is incorrect. An incorrect PBD can be corrected on the next enrollment file without negatively impacting the student’s enrollment history for the reported program of study.

Program Status Effective Date (PSED): Student’s program enrollment status increases or decreases.

See FSA Dear Colleague Letter, GEN-14-17 NSLDS Program-Level Enrollment Reporting for “active enrollment status” compliance reporting requirements. If the student has an active status in their program (i.e., has not withdrawn or graduated from the program), the reported program’s active status must match the active campus level status.

Definition of Unique Program

Consistent with National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) enrollment reporting guidance, a program is defined as the unique combination of the school’s eight-digit OPEID number and the program’s CIP Code, CIP Year, Credential Level, and Published Program Length. These fields are referred to as program identifiers.

Program Identifiers schematic

  • When enrollment files are submitted to the Clearinghouse, errors may occur if the student’s incoming program identifiers do not match the existing program identifiers in the Clearinghouse database. Updates to any of the reported program’s identifier fields below will result in the creation of a new distinct program(s).
    • Program CIP Code
    • Program Credential Level
    • Program Published Length
    • Program Published Length Measurement
    • Program Weeks in Title IV Academic Year (not required if the reported Program Length Measurement is in years)

Overview of Clearinghouse System Logic for Campus Status Start Date (SSD)

The requirement to report a date in the Campus SSD field on enrollment file submissions to the Clearinghouse is conditional, meaning the field is required in some circumstances and optional in others.

For enrollment statuses of Full‑Time (F), Three-Quarter Time (Q), Half‑Time (H), or Less Than Half‑Time (L), reporting a date in the Campus SSD field is optional. If an SSD is not provided for records with an enrollment status of F, Q, H, or L, the Clearinghouse system will compute the Campus SSD.

The following information explains how the Clearinghouse handles student status changes when a Campus SSD is not reported for F, Q, H, or L statuses based on whether the status change is an increase or decrease and whether it occurs during or between academic terms. It also outlines when the Term Begin Date is used by default as the SSD and when errors or warnings are generated under these conditions.

When a status increases but no SSD is provided:

Increase occurs between terms

  • The Clearinghouse computes the reported Term Begin Date as the SSD.
  • No error or warning code is generated because no SSD is provided when the status increases between terms.

Increase occurs during a term

  • The Clearinghouse computes the reported Term Begin Date as the SSD.
  • Warning code 258 is generated and will appear on the Error Resolution Report (ERW).

When a status decreases but no SSD is provided:

Decrease occurs between terms

  • The Clearinghouse computes the reported Term Begin Date as the SSD.
  • No error or warning code is generated because no SSD is provided when the status decreases between terms.

Decrease occurs during a term

  • Error Code 201 is generated and will appear on the Error Resolution Report.

When a status remains the same, but no SSD is provided:

No status change between terms or during a term

  • The Clearinghouse computes the previously reported Status Start Date as the SSD.
  • No error or warning code is generated because no SSD is provided when there is no change in status during or between terms.

How to Review Program Enrollment on the Error Resolution Report

Both campus- and program-level information can be reviewed when an error or warning is presented for students in the Error Resolution Report on the Web (ERW).

  • Click on the error or warning code number in the Error Resolution Report error list.
  • Use the “+” icon next to the student SSN in the Details column to expand the student’s record.

Error Summary

The image below shows an example of a student’s expanded record:

  • Campus-level enrollment (orange box) displays the following information on the incoming enrollment record: Enrollment status, Term Dates, Campus Status Start Date, and Anticipated Graduation Date (AGD).
  • Program-level enrollment (blue box). If the student has program information reported, the Program Indicator is set to “Yes” and the program(s) are listed under “Incoming Programs.” Each program and its associated program identifiers on the incoming enrollment record (Program CIP Code, Credential Level, Program Length) are displayed, as well as the Program Begin Date, Program Status and Program Status Effective Date.

Student's expanded record detail

Warning Codes to Review Closely

The following error/warning codes, which relate to the Campus Status Start Date or Program Status Effective Date, may appear on your Error Resolution Report on the Web (ERW). These warnings must be reviewed carefully to assess whether reported dates need to be updated or not. Links to resources that explain why these warnings flag, how to review and correct them appropriately, and how to prevent recurrence have also been provided.

  • 75: Status Start Date too old
  • 80: Status Start Date after Term End Date
  • 258: Status Increase During Term, Start Date is Null
  • 260: Status Increase During Term, Start Date is Present
  • 263: Status Start Date is prior to previously reported Status Start Date for the same status
  • 264: Status (F, Q, H, L, A) Start Date is outside of the term

Resources:

  • 1801-1806: Incoming Program PSED does not match the last certified PSED
  • 1811-1816: Incoming Program PBD does not match the last certified PBD
  • 1821-1826: Incoming Program Status changed, PSED unchanged

Resources:

  • 292: Status Start Date defaulted due to previously suppressed status
  • 1901-1906: Program 1 PSED defaulted due to previously suppressed status
  • 1861-1866: PSED previously defaulted due to suppressed status

Resources:

 

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